Chapter 140 The masterminds behind the scenes: the Su family and the Wang family...
As soon as Fu Yun finished speaking, there was a moment of silence on Zhi Lan's side, followed by the sound of a chair being moved on the ground.
A soft "thump" sounded, as if something had been knocked over and fallen to the ground.
The next moment, hurried footsteps sounded, and Fu Yun walked out of the tunnel, then closed the wooden door, restoring the wall to its original state.
This wooden door is made using modern technology, creating an invisible door that is completely invisible to the naked eye.
Unless pulled open from inside the secret passage, the people inside the house would not be able to detect the door.
If people inside want to enter the secret passage, they must find the mechanism among the objects displayed on the antique shelf.
Fu Yun had just turned around when he saw Zhi Lan hurriedly enter the inner hall from the outer hall. The moment she saw him, the surprise in her eyes was self-evident: "Why are you here? Did you come through the secret passage?"
Fu Yun nodded and answered truthfully, "I didn't hear any news from inside the city, so I was worried about you and came to check on you."
A hint of worry flashed in Zhilan's eyes, but when she looked up at Fu Jun, her gaze immediately softened: "I will naturally be safe in the palace."
She concealed the worry between her brows, her tone lightening slightly: "I have to go to court later, so I won't be able to stay with you in the bedchamber."
As she spoke, her gaze fell on the wall behind Fu Jun, scanning it quickly, clearly searching for the mechanism to open the wooden door.
As she searched, she said, "You'd better go back quickly, otherwise Fang Jiu will worry about where you are if she can't find you. Don't worry about me, no one can threaten my safety. I'll come and get you once the spy operation is over."
Fu Yun took two steps forward, blocking Zhi Lan's way: "I don't want to leave, I want to stay here with you."
Zhilan stiffened slightly, then looked away, her gaze somewhat complicated: "You heard that just now?"
Fu Yun gave a soft hum and then explained, "I didn't intentionally eavesdrop on the court's secrets. It's just that I happened to hear Commander Ye's words when I arrived at the entrance of the secret passage."
Zhilan sighed softly, a hint of helplessness in her expression. Knowing that this guy was very stubborn and wouldn't easily change his mind once he made up his mind, she didn't insist any further and took Fu Jun to the outer hall.
She returned to the table and sat down, gesturing for Fu Jun to sit to her right.
After Fu Jun sat down, she said coldly, "The situation in the city is much more serious than previously expected."
Fu Yun asked directly, "Have you found the leader of the spies?"
Zhilan said solemnly, "The problem is not just about spies. If foreign enemies want to invade, we will fight them."
Fu Yun's statement was not a question but a statement: "Internal and external troubles?"
Zhilan paused slightly, her gaze lingering on Fu Jun's face for a moment before she asked, "What do you know?"
Fu Yun smiled wryly and said, "It's because I only have a superficial understanding of many things that I can't find the answers."
Zhilan said, "Tell me about it, and I'll see if I can help you."
Fu Yun pondered for a moment and tried to voice the doubts that had been lingering in her mind: "We had suspected that Su Tan, the head of the Su family, was colluding with foreign powers, but we had never found any evidence or reason for her to do so."
"As for the head of the Wang family, for a period of time her behavior was very suspicious, just like Su Tan's. However, we don't know whether her actions were a counterattack to guard against the Su family or whether she was also suspected of colluding with foreign powers. There is currently no evidence to prove this, and we don't know what her purpose was either."
"But there's one thing I think deserves special attention. In the past, even if the Su family and the Wang family disliked each other, they would only fight each other behind the scenes, trying to trip each other up. But both of them were very concerned about their reputation and would never make a scene in the open. But recently, they've been fighting fiercely in the business world, and the two families have even come to blows. I always feel that they are deliberately covering something up and trying to divert everyone's attention."
"And then there's Mu Xin. She's been unusually quiet lately, which is nothing like the person she was when she made those harsh remarks last time. I suspect she's hiding in the shadows."
He expressed his speculation: "I even suspect that they might be making a big fuss on the surface, but actually working together in secret."
Fu Yun rubbed her temples and voiced her biggest question: "I just don't understand what could be so important that they would be willing to turn hostility into friendship and join forces with their respective mortal enemies."
Zhilan then spoke with certainty: "The Su family and the Wang family cannot possibly join forces."
Fu Jun raised an eyebrow slightly: "Why is it impossible? There's a saying that goes, 'In the business world, there are no permanent rivals or enemies, only those who are willing to fight for profit and connections.' Perhaps they're tired of fighting and don't want to waste any more time on each other, so they've reached some kind of cooperation in private."
Zhilan paused briefly before saying, "Su Tan and the Wang family have a blood feud, so it's impossible for them to have any real cooperation."
Fu Yun was slightly taken aback, then suddenly realized: "Could it be that you've already found out that Su Tan was the real mastermind behind the massacre of the Wang family three years ago? Is that why the Wang family didn't even bother to pretend anymore and directly confronted Su Tan openly?"
Zhilan recounted in detail: "Eight years ago, the Wang family rose to prominence in Lingzhou City, and their number of shops far surpassed that of the Su family, who were originally the richest family in Lingzhou City. For those five years, the Su family was suppressed by the Wang family and never had a chance to rise. Su Tan harbored resentment because of this and thought of the most vicious move: to hire someone to kill the Wang family and make them disappear from Lingzhou City. She bribed bandits to eliminate her greatest rival and threat. That's how the Wang family was robbed and killed on their way to visit their relatives."
Fu Yun asked, "This is also what you found strange back then, right? I heard General Qian and Commander Ye mention this before. They said that in the early days, these bandits were not vicious and ruthless. They usually only robbed money and did not kill people. But that time when they robbed the Wang family, they were bloodthirsty and did not spare a single life."
Zhilan nodded: "That's right. At that time, the imperial court sent a lot of people to keep watch, and it took a lot of effort to wipe out the bandits."
Fu Yun asked, "Weren't the bandits interrogated in detail back then?"
Zhilan shook her head: "This case was initially handled by the Censorate. During the encirclement and suppression, the bandits scattered in all directions, and the Censorate had no choice but to deal with these murderers on the spot. Later, it was found that the bandits had just changed leaders before the robbery of the Wang family. The new leader was ruthless and had killed people before. Therefore, the case was closed with the bandits being completely wiped out."
Fu Yun suddenly remembered: "When Commander Ye and General Qian were talking about this, they said they had made a new discovery. Three years ago, a small bandit didn't participate in the robbery and murder because she had an upset stomach. Later, she heard that this group of sisters had taken dozens of lives, so she ran away. That's why she wasn't wiped out by the court and survived by chance."
“That’s right.” Zhilan took out one of the folded documents from a stack on the table, stood up, walked to Fu Yun, opened the document and handed it to him: “We have also found out where this person is right now.”
Fu Yun took the report and saw that it concerned the aftermath of the Wang family massacre three years ago. The report, submitted by the Censorate, stated that some of the bandits who escaped from the massacre three years prior had already infiltrated Lingzhou City for many years. Two suspects had been identified: one was Mu Xin, the former bandit leader, and the other was the woman who distributed porridge with Wang Linfang. Further investigation was needed to determine which of these two was the one who had escaped.
Fu Yun was startled and found it strange: "Wang Linfang is the daughter of the former head of the Wang family. If she was one of the bandits who escaped the net, how could Wang Linfang have become so close to her and even become her best friend? Doesn't she know the woman's true identity?"
"Furthermore, what kind of mentality did those bandits have, spending every day with the victims killed by their own comrades?"
Zhilan said, "Wang Linfang must know, but she has not used any means of revenge and even calls the other party her sister. I don't know what she is planning."
Fu Yun put away the folded document and handed it back to Zhilan: "Tell me, does Wang Linfang know that the real murderer in the Wang family massacre is Su Tan?"
"This matter cannot be confirmed yet, after all, she has not taken any action recently." Zhilan took the folded document and placed it back on the table.
Fu Yun thought for a moment and said, "I heard from Wang Linfang's employees that she recently went to visit relatives with a friend and may not be back for a month or half a month. I think it's a bit strange that she chose to leave at this time."
After a pause, he added, "Could the shopkeeper's friend mentioned by the clerk be the good sister who accompanied her to distribute porridge at the city gate, who is also likely the suspected bandit who escaped the net?"
Zhilan remained silent for a moment before agreeing with Fu Jun's guess: "It's possible that she also received news that cholera might break out in the city due to spies infiltrating, so she evacuated in advance."
Fu Yun continued, "But how did she find out? Does she have an inside agent in the court? Or does she have spies among the agents?"
Zhilan fell silent, clearly also considering this possibility.
After a brief silence, Fu Yun, recalling Ye Lan's mention of the rebels, asked directly, "Who are the rebels you and Commander Ye are talking about? And who is the leader of the spies?"
Zhilan's expression changed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure: "This person's identity has not yet been confirmed."
Fu Yun, however, did not believe it. He looked at Zhi Lan with a deep gaze and said, "You don't need to worry about me. I broke off all ties with Su Tan a long time ago. Just tell me the truth, is it Su Tan?"
Before Zhilan could respond, he continued, "Because her hiring of an assassin to kill her family is about to be exposed, she's panicked and wants to make a desperate attempt before the court arrests her. Either she'll be brought to justice and have to pay for the murder with her life, or she'll collude with foreign powers to rebel and use their power to escape, hoping to destabilize the court and bring you down, right?"
Zhilan sighed inwardly, saying with a hint of helplessness, "Sometimes I really wish you were so smart that you could see through everything."
Fu Yun had a better understanding: "Was she also using her family members as hostages?"
Zhilan nodded slightly, her eyes filled with seriousness: "Your father has become her shield. Now she is trapped in the Su family and is confronting our Ministry of War."
"This person is, after all, your biological father. I don't want to see you sad, so the two sides are at an impasse for a while."
Fu Yun felt a sudden tightness in his heart. He hadn't expected Su Tan to be so vicious. After losing control of his son Su Fu Yun, Su Tan began to exploit Su Fu Yun's biological father to the fullest extent of his value.
Although he had never met the body's father and had no feelings for him, he was still the original owner's father. He had a hard life in the Su family and suffered for most of his life. He never expected that he would be used to death in the end.
He really was a person with a tragic fate, and Fu Yun actually felt a little sorry for him.
But with her lover on one side and the original owner's biological father on the other, choosing either one seemed to be without hesitation.
But could he really sacrifice one of them and let the other die? This choice is clearly unfair.
Fu Yun fell into a long silence. Su Fu Yun's biological father had already suffered enough. He blamed himself for not thinking of him sooner and bringing him to his side, otherwise he wouldn't have been in such a dangerous situation that cost him his life.
He asked Xiao Ba in his heart, "What is the ending of Su Fuyun's biological father in the original novel?"
The entire Su family was executed, and he was no exception.
Fu Yun sighed inwardly, "Is there any way to save him?"
[Not at the moment, unless you exchange yourself for him. With such a significant offer, Su Tan will definitely be willing.]
Fu Yun refused without hesitation: "That won't do. If I fall into Su Tan's hands, the Empress will be in a very passive position. If Su Tan uses me to hurt Zhi Lan, I will never forgive myself."
【Then there's no other way but for Su Fuyun's biological father to die. Anyway, he dies in the original story, so just ignore it and follow the original plot!】
Fu Jun remained silent and did not respond to Xiao Ba.
"Your Majesty, I have urgent news to report."
Just then, Ye Lan's anxious voice suddenly came from outside the door.
Zhilan glanced at Fu Yun, not letting Ye Lan in, and said directly, "
"speak."
"Your Majesty, enemy troops are attacking outside Lingzhou City."
Zhilan and Fuyun's expressions changed upon hearing this. The enemy was attacking at this time?
Fu Yun thought to himself: Could it be that Su Tan colluded with foreign powers to obtain reinforcements?
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